Page 3 of Fated for his Flame

With that, I stormed past him and Lilith into the house, eager to get away from it all.

Chapter Two

Silas

Flinging the terrace door open, I charged into the house, a string of curses flowing from my tongue. So caught up was I in the tempest of my emotions I nearly bowled over someone trying to exit the house.

“Sorry,” I said sharply and without much meaning, sliding to the side without slowing.

Where I nearly ran over another person. They didn’t move.

Already in a terrible mood thanks to my father’s ambush, I didn’t have time for the insolence of whoever refused to move out of my way in my house. Stopping, I drew myself up to my full height and looked them in the eyes.

“Jair?” I exclaimed in surprise as a pair of hardened golden-brown circles stared right back at me, not backing down. If anything, they were just as belligerent as I was. “What are you doing here?”

Why was one of the sovereign’s bodyguards in my house? There was no need for him to be there unless—

My head snapped around to focus on the first person I’d nearly knocked aside.

“My Sovereign,” I said, right fist snapping to my far shoulder, elbow extended in the wing salute. “Please accept my apologies. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

Framed by her trademark platinum hair, twin eyes of brilliant jade stared back at me. Unyielding, much as the person they belonged to.

The Sovereign of All Dragonkind was our ruler. The ruler. There were few people in the Isles whom I bowed before. There were none she bowed to. And I’d nearly run her down.

Jair, the head of her personal guards, and the matching guard on her far side both stared at me with unconcealed fury.

“I can see that,” the sovereign said with a twinkle in her eyes. “I know you well enough, Silas, to know you would not willfully do such a thing.”

“Of course not,” I assured her, embarrassed by my own actions. I should know better.

“Leaving your own party so soon?” she asked, glancing past me at the gathered guests. “I was just arriving.”

“My father conned you into this ridiculous charade, too, did he?” I recovered my composure quickly. Unlike many who would be overawed by the presence of the sovereign, my position meant I saw and conversed with her regularly.

“What? A party to celebrate our war heroes isn’t worth your time?” she asked mildly, though her intent was clearly anything but.

“Heroes? There were no heroes from that ‘war’ if you want to call it such,” I said. “You know as well as I do it was basically a slaughter. They couldn’t do anything to stop us. They could barely hurt us. They’re weak. Pathetic. You don’t need heroes for what we did. They likely have those they celebrate as heroes. Not us. We shouldn’t celebrate what happened. Who celebrates stomping on an ant? Besides, that’s not what this party is for.”

“No?” she seemed genuinely interested. “What is it about?”

“An ambush,” I growled, glancing back over my shoulder. “By my father. Trying to force me to accept Caine’s youngest, Lilith, as my mate.”

“Ah.” The sovereign fell silent, watching me intently.

I met her gaze, not flinching from it. “That was a rather loaded sound,” I said at last.

“You felt nothing from her, I assume? Nor did your dragon?”

“No,” I said with a shrug. “Just like with the other few dozen women he’s paraded before me, trying to force me to accept one of them. He insists I should do as he did, and take a political match for a mate.”

“And you disagree?”

“Yes.”

“You want a true mate?”

“I don’t think that’s too much to ask,” I said stiffly, feeling like I should be defending myself. “At this rate, I’m assuming she’s either not out there or is too ‘below my station,’ as my father puts it, for me to ever find by other than random chance. Even then, trying to convince him to let me mate a commoner would be difficult.”

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